Kansas City Chiefs vs San Diego Chargers: Some Things To Expect

By Jonathan W. Crowell

Denny Medley – USA TODAY Sports

The 9-1 Kansas City Chiefs are currently tied for first place in the AFC West division with the 9-1 Denver Broncosafter losing 17-27 to Denver Sunday. This week will see the Chiefs preparing to host another division rival, Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers this coming Sunday at Arrowhead.

Whenever the Chiefs and Chargers get together, like any NFL intradivision matchup, it’s always going to be a heated contest, and this game on Sunday is going to be no exception.

One thing of note which may affect Sunday’s game: In the game against Denver, rookie reserve running back Knile Davis carried the ball a couple of times. He didn’t steal the show, exactly, but it did give him a chance to acclimate himself and build confidence on the field, which will help the offense in the long term, as this will be an opportunity to give Jamaal Charles more time to rest between plays.

The Chargers have dominated 9-2 in the last 11 matchups with the Chiefs, and for the first time in over 10 years, Sunday sees the Kansas City favored over San Diego — the Chiefs are 4.5 point favorites.

The Chargers have lost three consecutive games, but by one score or less — they’ve lost some close games. They are ranked fourth in passing league-wide and seventh in total offense, so plan to see them getting the ball down the field.

Even though the Chiefs lost to Denver, the defense performed admirably overall, keeping Denver down to 104 yards on 36 carries and limiting Denver quarterback Peyton Manning‘s and the Denver offense’s opportunities to spread out. Kansas City has allowed only an AFC record low of 13.8 P/PG this season and has racked up a total of 36 sacks, the second best in the league. Chiefs linebackers Tamba Hali and Justin Houston have a combined 20 sacks, the most by any duo in the league for this season. The Chargers can move the ball, but they are certainly not the Broncos, and may not fare nearly as well as Denver managed.

Sunday’s game should be an interesting one to watch, especially considering everyone will be curious to see how the Chiefs bounce back after their only loss this season.